The invention concerns a system and a method for remote maintenance, remote configuration and/or remote operation of an electrophotographic printing system or copying system. A data processing system is connected via a network with a communication unit of the printing or copying system.
In known electrophotographic printers and copiers, with the aid of modems a remote data transmission connection is established to a service and maintenance computer that is located in a service station of the printer manufacturer. For this, the entire printer is activated and connected in a suitable operating state. A connection via a telephone network is produced between the modems. With the aid of this remote data transmission connection, data with error entries of an error list, what is known as the error history, are transmitted from the printer to the service and maintenance computer.
For error analysis, the printer or copier must be activated by an operating personnel of the printer manufacturer and connected in a predetermined operating state. Thus such an error analysis is only possible when operating personnel of the customer activates the printer or copier before the remote data transmission and deactivates it again after the data transmission. Thus the remote data transmission connection can only be established at times at which the operating personnel is present at the printer. If a customer operates a printer or copier, for example in Japan, and the service station is located, for example, in Germany, a time shift of seven or eight hours thus occurs. Service times for a remote data transmission must thereby be coordinated between customers and service technicians of the service station.
An arrangement to control and to transmit data between a mainframe and a copier controller is known from European patent EP 0 513 549 A2. A control unit for communication control is provided that is connected with the copier control. The communication control comprises a data processing system with a modem, whereby the communication with the mainframe occurs independently of the copier control. A data transmission occurs with the aid of an RS232 interface between the copier control and the communication control.